Surgical drill guide

ABSTRACT

Drill guides are disclosed herein that allow an implant to be partially inserted after the holes are drilled and before the drill guide has been removed from the surgical location.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to surgical drill guides.

SUMMARY

Surgical drill guides are disclosed that allow holes to be drilled intobone at a desired location. Holes are drilled in the bone throughreferencing holes of the drill guide. A drill guide can be used forguiding a drilling tool (e.g., a drill bit) during formation of one ormore holes in bone. A drill guide can be made out of metal (e.g.,stainless steel), hard polymeric material, ceramic material, compositematerial, or any other material. Furthermore, a drill guide can beformed in any suitable fashion (e.g., casting, milling, etc.).Additionally, a drill guide can have various sizes and shapes, dependingon the size and shape of a patient's anatomy, etc.

Drill guides as disclosed herein allow an implant to be partiallyinserted after the holes are drilled and before the drill guide has beenremoved from the surgical location. With the disclosed drill guides,alignment pins are not required. Since a drill guide is not removeduntil the implant is partially inserted, the location of the drilledhole(s) is not lost. Thereby, embodiments of methods disclosed hereininclude the specific exclusion of alignment pins. Various implants canbe utilized with the disclosed drill guides.

In an embodiment, a drill guide includes a handle including one or moreopenings. In an embodiment, the drill guide includes an alignment tubedefines a drill passage, and the drill passage aligns with the openingof the handle. The alignment tube can have a substantially cylindricalshape. The alignment tube can have different shapes. In an embodiment,the shape of the alignment tube can be based on the shape of a desiredimplant. An alignment tube can include a window to allow access to adrill passage. An alignment tube can include a first end region attachedto the handle and a second end region having a bottom surface that cancontact bone. A window can extend from a bottom surface of the secondend region of the alignment tube.

Methods of performing surgery utilizing drill guides are also disclosedherein. In particular, the methods disclosed herein utilize thedisclosed drill guides without the need for alignment pins. For example,a method includes inserting a securing member of an implant through awindow of a drill guide's alignment tube. Thereby, the securing memberis received in a bone hole to attach the implant to the bone while thedrill guide is still positioned relative to the bone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of adrill guide;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of thedrill guide positioned on bone;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of adrill guide and grasper; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a drill guide.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Surgical drill guides allow surgeons to accurately drill holes in a boneat a desired location. After drilling a hole, an alignment pin can beplaced into the drilled hole to allow the surgeon to find the locationof the hole during surgery. When an implant is to be inserted into thehole, the alignment pin is removed to allow the implant to be attachedto the bone with a securing member received in the hole in the bone.However, once the alignment pin is removed, it may be difficult for thesurgeon to again find the location of the drilled hole.

Disclosed herein are drill guides that allow an implant to be partiallyinserted after the holes are drilled and before the drill guide has beenremoved from the surgical location. Thereby, alignment pins are notrequired. Since a drill guide is not removed until the implant ispartially inserted, the location of the drilled hole(s) is not lost.Various implants can be utilized with the disclosed drill guides. In anembodiment, an implant can be a compression staple. In an embodiment, acompression staple comprises a shape memory material (e.g., nitinol).

A drill guide includes a handle including one or more openings. In anembodiment, an opening can be substantially v-shaped, with or withoutdefined teeth. In an embodiment, a handle includes at least one openingthat aligns with a drill passage of at least one alignment tube.

In an embodiment, at least one alignment tube extends from an opening inthe handle. An alignment tube can include a first end region attached tothe handle and a second end region having a bottom surface that cancontact bone. In an embodiment, a drill guide includes a handleincluding two openings and two alignment tubes.

Alignment tubes can have different shapes, including substantiallycylindrical. In embodiments with two or more alignment tubes, the tubescan be the same or different shapes. In an embodiment, the shape of thealignment tube can be based on the shape of a desired implant or basedon the anatomy of the bone to be drilled.

An alignment tube can also include a window to allow access to a drillpassage. At least one window can extend from a bottom surface of asecond end region of an alignment tube. In an embodiment, an alignmenttube includes two windows aligned with each other. A bottom surface of asecond end region can be roughened and/or include teeth to engage bone.In an embodiment, a bottom surface of the second end region includesopenings. In an embodiment, an alignment tube has a first length and awindow has a second length, whereby the second length is less than halfthe first length.

In another embodiment, the alignment tube includes a body that defines adrill passage, and a portion of the body is located between two windows.A bottom surface of the portion of the body includes teeth.

Methods include performing surgery utilizing the drill guides disclosedherein. In particular, the methods disclosed herein utilize thedisclosed drill guides without the need for alignment pins. For example,a method includes inserting a securing member of an implant through awindow of a drill guide's alignment tube. Thereby, the securing memberis received in a bone hole to attach the implant to the bone while thedrill guide is still positioned relative to the bone. In an embodiment,a method includes drilling a hole into at least one bone after a drillguide is positioned relative to the bone(s). For example, a drill guidecan be positioned relative to a bone, and a drill bit of a drillinginstrument can be introduced into an alignment tube. The drill bit canproceed through the alignment tube until the drill bit contacts bone.The drill bit can then be used to create a hole in the bone having adesired shape and size. An alignment tube can be of a size and/or shapeto match a desired size and/or shape of a desired hole in the bone.Methods as disclosed herein can be performed in bones of the foot,ankle, wrist, hand, legs, arms, etc. Additionally, methods as disclosedherein can be performed during surgery of humans, dogs, cats, horses,etc.

After the securing member of the implant is inserted into the bone andsecures the implant to the bone, the drill guide can be removed from itsposition relative to the bone. In one example, no alignment pins areutilized. In one example, a bottom surface of the alignment tubeincludes teeth or a roughened surface to engage the bone. In oneexample, the alignment tube has a substantially cylindrical shape. Inone example, the window extends from a bottom surface of the alignmenttube. In one example, each opening is substantially v-shaped.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a drill guide 10. The drillguide 10 includes a handle 12 that can be grasped and two alignmenttubes 14. Each alignment tube 14 includes a body 16 that defines a drillpassage 18, a first end region 20 attached to the handle 12, and asecond end region 22 that can contact bone 24. The handle 12 includestwo openings 26, and the drill passage 18 of one alignment tube 14 isaligned with one of the openings 26 of the handle 12. The drill guide 10can be made out of metal (e.g., stainless steel), hard polymericmaterial, ceramic material, composite material, or any other material.Furthermore, the drill guide 10 can be formed in any suitable fashion(e.g., casting, milling, etc.). Additionally, the drill guide 100 canhave various sizes and shapes, depending on the size and shape of apatient's anatomy, etc.

The alignment tubes 14 have a substantially cylindrical shape. Thesecond end region 22 includes a bottom surface 32 having a feature thatincreases traction with the bone 24 to prevent the handle 12 fromsliding or moving relative to the bone 24. In one example, the bottomsurface 32 is roughened or non-smooth. In one example, the bottomsurface 28 of the second end region 22 includes teeth 29 that aredefined by openings 28. In another example, the openings 28 aresubstantially v-shaped.

Each alignment tube 14 includes a window 30 that allows access to thedrill passage 18 of the alignment tube 14 from outside the alignmenttube 14. The window 30 is elongated and extends from the bottom surface32 of the second end region 22 of the alignment tube 14. In one example,the window 30 is defined by two side surfaces 48 substantially parallelto a longitudinal axis 50 of the alignment tube 14 and an end surface 52connecting the two side surfaces 48. In one example, the end surface 52is curved. In one example, the window 30 has a length l that is lessthan one half a length of the alignment tube 14. In one example, eachalignment tube 14 includes two windows 30 that are aligned with eachother such that the drill passage 18 is accessible from both sides ofthe alignment tube 14. The windows 30 are spaced approximately 180degrees apart. In this example, a portion 34 of the body 16 is locatedbetween the two windows 30, and each portion 34 defines two teeth 29 andthe opening 28 located between the two teeth 29.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drill guide 10 is positioned on the bone 24 at adesired location. The teeth 29 grasp the surface of the bone 24. A drillbit 36 of a drill 38 is positioned in the aligned opening 26 and drillpassage 18, and the drill bit 36 forms a first hole 40 in the bone 24.After the first hole 40 is drilled, the drill bit 36 is positioned inthe other aligned opening 26 and the drill passage 18, and the drill bit36 forms a second hole 40 in the bone 24. The drill 38 is then removedfrom the drill guide 10, and the drill guide 10 remains on the bone 24so that each opening 26 and drill passage 18 are aligned with one of thedrilled holes 40.

As shown in FIG. 3, a surgical instrument 42, such as a grasper, isemployed to position an implant 46 for attachment to the bone 24. Theimplant 46 can then be partially attached to the bone 24 by a securingmember 44 before the drill guide 10 is removed from the bone 24. Thesecuring member 44 is inserted through the windows 30 of the alignmenttubes 14 and into the drilled holes 40 to secure the implant 46 to thebone 24. After the implant 46 is attached to the bone 24, the drillguide 10 can be removed from the bone 24. As the securing member 44 islocated in the windows 30, the drill guide 10 can be lifted from thebone 24 without any interaction with the implant 46 or the securingmember 44. In one example, the securing member 44 is a compressionstaple. In an embodiment, the compression staple comprises a shapememory material (e.g., nitinol).

As the drill guide 10 remains on the bone 24 during attachment of theimplant 46 to the bone 24, alignment pins are not needed to mark thelocation of the drilled holes 40 because the drill guide 10 is notremoved until the implant 46 is partially attached. The alignment tubes14 of the drill guide 10 are used to mark the location of the drilledholes 40.

Although a drill guide 10 with two openings 26 and two drill passages 18that are aligned has been illustrated and described, the drill guide 10can include any number of opening/drill passages. For example, the drillguide 10 can include a single opening 26 and drill passage 18 that canreceive a different type of securing member 44, such as a screw.

In one illustrative embodiment, a drill guide includes a handleincluding two openings and two alignment tubes each having asubstantially cylindrical shape. Each of the two alignment tubesincludes a drill passage that aligns with one of the two openings of thehandle. The two alignment tubes each include a window to allow access tothe drill passage. The two alignment tubes each include a first endregion attached to the handle and a second end region having a bottomsurface that can contact bone. The windows extend from a bottom surfaceof the second end region. In one embodiment, the openings aresubstantially v-shaped.

In another illustrative embodiment, a drill guide can also comprise ahandle and at least one alignment tube including a drill passage. The atleast one alignment tube includes a window that allows access to thedrill passage.

In one embodiment, the handle includes at least one opening that alignswith the drill passage of the at least one alignment tube. In oneembodiment, the at least one opening of the handle comprises twoopenings and the at least one alignment tube comprises two alignmenttubes. In one embodiment, the at least one alignment tube issubstantially cylindrical. In one embodiment, the at least one alignmenttube includes a first end region attached to the handle and a second endregion having a bottom surface that can contact bone. In one embodiment,the bottom surface is roughened. In one embodiment, the bottom surfaceof the second end surface includes openings. In one embodiment, as shownin FIG. 4, the openings are substantially v-shaped and define teeth. Inone embodiment, the window extends from the bottom surface of the atleast one alignment tube. In one embodiment, the at least one alignmenttube has a first length L and the window has a second length l, and thesecond length l is less than half the first length L. In one embodiment,the at least one alignment tube includes two windows aligned with eachother. In one embodiment, a portion of the body is located between thetwo windows, and a bottom surface of the portion of the body includesteeth.

In another illustrative embodiment, a method of attaching an implant tobone comprising inserting a securing member of an implant through awindow of an alignment tube of a drill guide and into a bone while thedrill guide is positioned relative to the bone.

In one embodiment, the method includes removing the drill guide from itsposition relative to the bone after the securing member of the implantis inserted into the bone. In one embodiment, no alignment pins areutilized. In one embodiment, a bottom surface the alignment tubeincludes teeth to engage the bone. In one embodiment, the alignment tubehas a substantially cylindrical shape. In one embodiment, the windowextends from a bottom surface of the alignment tube.

The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of theinvention. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within thescope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwisethan using the example embodiments which have been specificallydescribed. For that reason, the following claims should be studied todetermine the true scope and content of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drill guide comprising: a handle including twoopenings; and two alignment tubes each having a body having asubstantially cylindrical shape, a longitudinal axis, a bottom surface,a drill passage that aligns with one of the two openings of the handle,two windows to allow access to the drill passage, two adjacent teeth onthe bottom surface, a first end region attached to the handle, and asecond end region including the bottom surface and the two adjacentteeth that can contact bone, wherein the two windows extend from thebottom surface of the second end region and each have a length thatextends substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of therespective one of the two alignment tubes, a portion of the body and thetwo adjacent teeth are located between the two windows, a recess isdefined between the two adjacent teeth, and each of the two adjacentteeth is located between one of the two windows and the recess.
 2. Thedrill guide as recited in claim 1 wherein the recess is substantiallyv-shaped.
 3. The drill guide as recited in claim 1 wherein the twowindows each are defined by two parallel walls connected by a curvedsurface.
 4. The drill guide as recited in claim 1 wherein a fastener isreceived in the window to secure an implant to bone.
 5. A drill guidecomprising: a handle; and at least one alignment tube including a body,a longitudinal axis, a bottom surface, a drill passage that aligns witha portion of the handle, a window that allows access to the drillpassage, two adjacent teeth on the bottom surface that can contact bone,wherein a recess is located between the two adjacent teeth, and at leastone of the two adjacent teeth is located between the window and therecess, wherein a fastener is received in the window to secure animplant to bone.
 6. The drill guide as recited in claim 5 wherein thehandle includes at least one opening that aligns with the drill passageof the at least one alignment tube.
 7. The drill guide as recited inclaim 5 wherein the at least one opening of the handle comprises twoopenings and the at least one alignment tube comprises two alignmenttubes.
 8. The drill guide as recited in claim 5 wherein the at least onealignment tube is substantially cylindrical.
 9. The drill guide asrecited in claim 5 wherein the at least one alignment tube includes afirst end region attached to the handle and a second end region havingthe bottom surface that can contact bone.
 10. The drill guide as recitedin claim 9 wherein the recess is substantially v-shaped.
 11. The drillguide as recited in claim 9 wherein the window has a length that extendssubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the at least onealignment tube.
 12. The drill guide as recited in claim 9 wherein the atleast one alignment tube has a first length along the longitudinal axis,the window has a second length along the longitudinal axis, and thesecond length is less than half the first length.
 13. The drill guide asrecited in claim 5 wherein the window comprises two windows aligned witheach other on opposing sides of the at least one alignment tube.
 14. Thedrill guide as recited in claim 13 wherein a portion of the body islocated between the two windows.
 15. The drill guide as recited in claim5 wherein the window is defined by two parallel walls connected by acurved surface.